


The Next Few Days, Weeks, and Months of Aelwyn Abernant

by helloyesIamtrash



Category: Dimension 20 (Web Series), Fantasy High
Genre: Aelwyn adjusting to life at Mordred manor, Ayda Aguefort is a gem, Campaign: Fantasy High (Dimension 20), Fluff, Friendship, Make mordred manor wheelchair accessible you cowards, So is Ragh, chilli party, family barbeque, this just in prickly elf is getting friends, transitive property, wizard friendship rights
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:14:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23481550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helloyesIamtrash/pseuds/helloyesIamtrash
Summary: In which Aelwyn tries for her sister’s sake to become more, as she put it, ‘tolerable’, and makes some unexpected fri- sorry,acquaintancesalong the way.(Spoilers for the finale of season 2!)
Relationships: Aelwyn Abernant & Ayda Aguefort, Aelwyn Abernant & Everyone, Aelwyn Abernant & Lydia Barkrock, Aelwyn Abernant & Ragh Barckrock, Aelwyn Abernant & making accidental friends
Comments: 21
Kudos: 146





	The Next Few Days, Weeks, and Months of Aelwyn Abernant

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all! I had a few ideas this morning about how Aelwyn would be adjusting to Mordred manor and now 5 hours later oops its all done lol, hope you all enjoy!

After the Nightmare Forest, things did not immediately get better. 

Of course they wouldn’t, after all. Life, while magical, was not a fairytale. Which was good, because neither Aelwyn or her little sister grew up reading fairy tales. 

All of her life, she had been told to be perfect or else. Expectation was love, after all. Or so she thought. Now, she had broken away from that perfection and reunited with her baby sister, which was all more than she could have hoped for. Not that she could really understand why Adaine forgave her. Or love her, really. There was no reason for her to. 

But she saw in her mind that she did, and how could even she deny what was right in front of her face screaming at her like Adaine always did? 

Even she was not that stubborn. 

There wasn’t much time to talk after she was resurrected, they had to go and fight. She had to fight her mother. She had to watch her sister, the person who she loved most in this world, fall lifelessly to the ground. Aelwyn knew that no matter what, she would never be able to get rid of the image of Adaine in her arms with a hole through her chest and her body growing colder. 

Even after Cassandra and being dropped back off at Elmville, it all felt… foreign. To her. When she left her home, she had been a very different person. All of those months in torture were wiped from her memory, but the forest remained. It was strange to return to something so familiar yet changed, and to see how truly none of it felt like home.

There was still the same shops that she used to frequent. Still the same neighborhood she used to live in, minus their house, of course. It was strange to not see it there, but it felt right that it was gone. There were too many memories in that place. Everything was more or less the same. 

It was Aelwyn who had changed. 

She wasn’t completely sure if it was for the better, but if she had Adaine by her side, then she was probably doing something right. 

There was a first time for everything. 

So, when they arrived back at Mordred manor, she had expectations. Ideas of what this would be like. They had already established right off the bat that she was not a ‘Bad Kid’. Which was fine. She didn’t particularly want to be. But practically everyone else in that house had some sort of strong bond and connection to each other. Inside jokes and laughter and a sense of comfort in a home that Aelwyn had never known. 

She felt like an outsider. 

Of course she still had Adaine, but _she_ was the big sister. If anything, Adaine was the one that was supposed to cling to her and be by her side, not Aelwyn herself. She refused to switch those roles. She may have changed, but she wasn’t any less stubborn. 

She expected her sister’s friends to shy away from her. For the adults to pity her. For everyone to whisper and be kind for Adaine’s sake. Why wouldn’t they? She did try to kill them last year. She wasn’t exactly a good person. 

What she got instead was _baffling_. 

That werewolf man (Jawbone? She’s pretty sure his name is Jawbone) who adopted her sister immediately brought Aelwyn into a hug. One that she did not in any way return, but appreciated the sentiment of on some level. He welcomed her in and asked her if she needed anything to drink. He was kind and took care of her baby sister when she didn’t, and she didn’t know how to refer to him when he was clearly not her father but was now Adaine’s. 

She didn’t want another dad. But this creature, one that her mother would have veered her away from on the streets and her father would have sneered at as soon as he was out of earshot, was perhaps more open and inherently understanding than anyone she’s ever met. It was both unsettling and comforting. After a few days of uncertainty, she decided she liked him. Maybe even one day, she would talk to him like he said she could. 

The Bad Kids were an enigma. Most of them, as soon as they got back, either crashed, left to find their families, or went off to do their own thing. Not all of them were in the house at once, and there was always bound to be a time where Adaine had to go and do her own thing. Aelwyn respected that. She was her own person, she should be able to do as she pleased. 

But of all people that Aelwyn could have bonded with, it was actually Lydia Barkrock. 

They were the two newest editions to Mordred manor, minus Ragh himself and Ayda. Both of whom either already lived around here or were comfortable around the people in the house, so she didn’t count them as much. She and Lydia were the two who didn’t have too much of a connection to anyone in this house. 

So when Lydia asked if Aelwyn wanted to ‘make chilli’, or whatever that weird bean dish was, Aelwyn obliged if only out of the obligation to do as she was told. Also, she wasn’t being asked to pay rent, so she felt like she had to do something to make herself useful. 

Lydia was a no-nonsense woman, sturdy and strong. The gem in her chest gleamed and the wheels on her wheelchair creaked constantly (Aelwyn offered a few days later to cast mending on it, but Lydia laughed and shrugged her off because she said that it let everyone know she was coming), but she was somehow still cheerful. 

Aelwyn had dutifully come to the kitchen with her, but stared at the knife and the vegetables in front of her like it was completely alien. How… was there a right way to do this? For all her spells and all of her knowledge, she couldn’t find a shred of information in her brain that told her what to do. 

After a moment, Lydia turned to check on her and chuckled. 

“What are you snickering about?” Aelwyn sneered as her body seized up, expecting a reprimand or a sharp barb. 

“Oh, no! Sorry, Aelwyn, I just-” Lydia was still smiling as if she knew something she didn’t. 

“Well, why don’t you just do it yourself, then, if you’re so smart?” Aelwyn huffed, but she finally noticed something as Lydia rolled up to the counter. 

For all of Mordred Manor’s countless rooms and space for everyone, it wasn’t exactly built with wheelchair access in mind. Lydia had only come in through the front door once, and it made her realize that Ragh probably wheeled her rockily up the stairs. Lydia’s room was on the first floor, so she didn’t have to go up the stairs. Jawbone, handy as ever, had been working on a couple of projects lately. 

The most recent one was a ramp to get up the front steps. 

And the counter in front of her was something Lydia could easily see, but reaching it comfortably was another issue entirely. 

God, she was an asshole, wasn’t she?

Lydia seemed to read the change on her face, and she chuckled softly. “It’s alright, darlin’, not many people think about that kind of stuff unless they know someone who’s in a wheelchair.”

Aelwyn’s face was still red with embarrassment. She was supposed to be smart, how could she have not noticed this? 

“The real reason I brought ya down here is because Ragh is out with his friends and I don’t wanna call him back and ruin his fun just to help me make dinner. If you don’t know how to chop the celery, I can help you out. Coach you through it. Sound good to you?” Lydia continued, but Aelwyn had a better idea. She was magic, damnit, and she had a good idea. A temporary but good idea. 

Her eyes suddenly glowed blue, much like Adaine’s did when she cast magic, but this time, geometric shapes covered the counter as she cast enlarge/reduce on the table. Usually in battle, it would make a target an eighth of its size. But since she wasn’t exactly fighting anyone, she focused on the object and it slowly shrank down right to Lydia’s waist height, and a small portion of the wood beneath the counter shrank into itself so she could wheel up like a desk. The woman’s eyes widened as she looked up at Aelwyn. 

“This, ah. Only lasts for about a minute, but perhaps I could get some examples about how to chop what I need to. Thickness and real-life experience and all of that.” Aelwyn flicked her hand as if it was nothing, but Lydia was grinning up at her with a gleam in her eyes that filled her with a sense of both discomfort and pride. She’s not positive, but she thought that she enjoyed the feeling. 

“Well, if we only got a minute, then let’s get to chopping!” Lydia rolled up her sleeves and wheeled up to the table, showing her that celery needed a thicker chop and carrots could be diced a little finer and onions was more of a preference thing but her Ragh liked them in smaller cubes, and Aelwyn took it all in like a sponge. 

When the whole group gathered for chilli that night and Lydia proudly proclaimed that Aelwyn helped her and did a very good job, there was a warm pang in her chest as everyone turned, smiled at her, and exploded in praise. 

Except for Adaine, of course, who was amazed that she lifted a finger to cook, but that in itself was something. 

The next week, Aelwyn discovered that the roof is a rather nice place to sit and relax in the evening. Her sister and her friends are still attending school, after all, and it wouldn’t make much sense for her to join in the very last few weeks before summer. Instead, she would start in the fall, which meant she had plenty of free time in the house. 

But when she came up for the second time, what she wasn’t expecting to see was Baxter, curled up and comfy. She wasn’t the best with animals, but this one carried her across the Nightmare forest. This one was fine. Walking up, she smiled softly and patted the griffin on the cheek. 

“Hey big guy. Just relaxing?” 

“We both were.” A voice said, smooth and amused. Aelwyn jumped slightly and cast shield on a pure reflex, only to look down and see Sandra Lynn sitting against her mount with a half-full wine glass in hand and a bottle laying next to her. Aelwyn sighed and dismissed her spell with an annoyed huff. 

“It’s what, one in the afternoon?” Aelwyn scoffed, and Sandra Lynn shrugged shamelessly. 

“It’s five o clock somewhere, you know,” She hummed, scooting over and patting a spot next to her. “You can join, if you want. I’m off work today and everyone else is off doing something. Not much else better to do.” 

Aelwyn hesitated, but she did have a point. Jawbone and Lydia were off at the hardware store and everyone else was at school. “Fine, I suppose.” She grumbled, Adaine’s voice ringing in her head. ‘Try to play nice with everyone, will you? They’re all good people, I think you’ll like them.’ Fine, Adaine. You’re not here, but fine. She reluctantly sat down against Baxter, who trilled and rubbed his beak against her cheek. 

“Okay, okay, that’s enough of that.” She gently pushed the griffin’s beak away from her face as Sandra Lynn chuckled. 

“How old are you? 18?” Sandra Lynn asked, and Aelwyn nodded in confusion. “Want some? You’re with an adult. It’s fine if you don’t want to, though.” 

An adult was fine with her drinking alcohol? She had always snuck out to parties because it would have brought shame and ridicule on her family if she was caught going out and having fun. She had gone to great lengths to hide it. But Sandra Lynn was fine with it? She narrowed her eyes at her. Was this some kind of trick? 

“What, are you gonna be a square about it? I thought you could throw a few back, last I heard. Guess I was wrong.” Sandra Lynn shrugged nonchalantly, and Aelwyn’s eyes narrowed as she snatched the glass out of her hand. 

“I can take _plenty_ , for your information.” Aelwyn, for all of her prim and proper behavior, was getting a bit more impulsive the more she was in Mordred manor. Maybe it was just the presence of Fig and Kristen, or maybe it was because she was slowly realizing the sheer lack of rules here, but the party girl that needed to let loose was still a part of her. Sandra Lynn grinned and took the bottle, pouring some into Aelwyn’s glass before taking a swig straight from the bottle. 

“Good. Jawbone doesn’t drink anymore, and I respect that, and Lydia doesn’t drink much. Sklonda’s hours are weird, so I don’t get to see her much. It’d be nice to have the occasional day drinking buddy. Not that I’ll encourage it that much, but the option is nice.” 

“Aren’t you supposed to be at work, anyways?” Aelwyn muttered, glancing over at this confounding adult. 

“Eh, Wednesdays are my days off. After the nightmare forest, I kind of realized how much adventuring I had done and how my job as a ranger was just more of that. Even if the nightmare forest was on a whole other level, I just… realized I needed a break.” Sandra Lynn sighed, leaning further into her mount. 

A small silence followed that. She wasn’t sure if it was awkward for Sandra Lynn, but it was for her. Because she knew exactly what they had in common. 

Sandra Lynn definitely knew about what Aelwyn had done during freshman year. She had to know. But Adaine filled Aelwyn in on what Sandra Lynn had done. Not all of it, but enough to know that this wasn’t the first time she had messed up. Neither of them had great track records. Trust issues, probably. 

Aelwyn wasn’t ready to talk about that. She didn’t want to talk about it. 

(But a few months later, on a quiet night on the roof, Aelwyn asked her why she thought Jawbone forgave her. And Sandra Lynn gave her a sad little smile and said ‘If I knew, I would tell you. But the fact that he did is what matters. What matters is that you take that second chance and make things right.’)

The months pass and Aelwyn grows a bit more comfortable in Mordred manor. It doesn’t feel like home. Not quite yet. Of course, her previous home barely was one, so what would she know about home? But she was at least happier. 

She made snarks at the dinner table with Fig, who seemed endlessly delighted to rebel against anything and everything despite needing reassurance occasionally that she was doing a good job rebelling. When Aelwyn brought up to Adaine that she wanted a change of clothes, Adaine rounded up Fig and Fabian to join them as they shopped. While Fabian brought along some more generally nice pieces, they were plain and refined. Fig, however, was all over the place and brought over wild pieces. Combining them together made for a surprisingly fashion-forward outfit. Aelwyn was even a bit impressed. 

And of all people, Fig came to her when she had questions about magic. Her explanation was something along the lines of she had already asked a lot of questions to Ayda and Adaine and wanted to impress them without their help. She still, however, needed help. Aelwyn knew it would make her sister happy, so she obliged. Fig was a surprisingly fast learner and was so eager to understand. And while Aelwyn was rather snarky and could be patronizing at times, it didn’t seem to bother Fig one bit. 

Ragh was a rather interesting one. He was loud and rowdy but he cared so tenderly for Lydia, who had already won Aelwyn over without the elf even fully realizing it. In the beginning, it was more a matter of ‘I have to find a way to get along with you because it would make your mother happy’, but as time progressed, she found him endearing. And he was still having trouble in some classes, since he was in summer school. Their adventure, while it got him a good enough GPA to graduate, fucked up his school schedule and he needed a few more credits to properly pass. 

Aelwyn found herself tutoring him with the basic stuff. She didn’t know much about Barbarians and rage and all of that, but a lot of his homework had to do with battle situations against enemies. The one against wizards and other spellcasters of elemental types was something she gave him real life experience in, sparring with him and showing both him and herself how sometimes even brute strength and determination can defeat pure magic. 

By the end of it, he had taken to calling her ‘Wynnie’ (much to her begrudging acceptance) and giving her crushing hugs. 

Tracker wasn’t someone who she had a chance to deeply get to know on any level, but she was on some level her sister? Half cousin? Since Adaine was now Jawbone’s kid, and Jawbone was Tracker’s niece… it was all a bit confusing. But she did one time find her in the bathroom touching her slight unibrow with a frown. 

After some awkward apologies for walking in and some silence, Aelwyn for some reason offered to help her out. Tracker was a no-makeup, low maintenance girl. And there was absolutely nothing wrong with that. But after shaving her unibrow, she had been worried about getting a full makeover from the high elf. Aelwyn shrugged and said she had never given one in her life, anyways. Tracker’s shoulders seemed to sag in relief, and they parted after that.

It wasn’t too long before both Tracker and Ragh were going to leave for Fallinel, and to have a good-bye party, there was a barbeque at Mordred manor. It was a humid summer day in Elmville, and there were so many people. A halfling family showed up and brought tubs of ice cream; Fabian introduced them to her and the father seemed to light up as he shook her hand, mentioning something about being free from the pigs. Arthur Aguefort seemed to be the life of the party despite not being invited, drinking and performing some magic to make people oooh and ahhh. Show off. Fig and Gorgug were the live music. That pit fiend from the forest, Gortholax, was mingling and laughing with Lydia and Jawbone, all of whom looked very pleased as they talked about their kids. Sandra Lynn and Sklonda were chatting away by the drink table (non alcoholic, of course).

Adaine was sitting by the pool with her feet in the water, talking to Zayn, Zelda, and a few other of Zelda’s friends. Ostentatia Wallace was there. Aelwyn had already apologized to her, but most of the Seven maidens were still wary around her. Which was fair. She made a point to give them some space. 

Riz was in the pool with Fabian, and Tracker, who were all literally throwing him up in the air. He seemed to be enjoying it? 

Point being, Aelwyn didn’t want to interrupt her new friends while they were having fun, so she was hanging back by the food table and watching on. She didn’t notice the smile on her face, but it was soft and real and there.

She would just hang back and rela-

“Excuse me, Aelwyn,” A voice rang out from behind her, and she whipped around with wide eyes and her shield spell at the ready if need be. Oh. It was Ayda. She was nice, as far as Aelwyn could tell, but she had spoken to her only a few times. “Oh. It appears I have frightened you. I apologize.” 

“It’s fine,” She huffed, straightening out her skirt and glancing at her curiously. She seemed like she had something to say. She waited for her to reply. 

“It seems that my paramore is busy making music and your sister is already talking to people that I do not know. There is a chorus of nonsense and my usual people who I talk to are busy. I noticed that you were also alone and were not talking to anyone and were also possibly unsure of what to do, so I would like to propose something,” Ayda offered, and while Aelwyn’s pride was more than a little bashed, she was aware that Ayda didn’t mean to offend her. So while biting responses curled on her tongue, she sighed. She would try. 

“What is your proposal?” 

Ayda nodded curtly when she was prompted on, “I propose that we be unsure together so that we both look less sad and alone? It is something that I worry about constantly at parties, and I believe that both Fig and Adaine are aware of this fact. It leads them to check up on me from time to time, and it makes me feel bad because I do not want to take away from their fun. I assume that Adaine might do something similar to you. You also look like someone who does not like to be bothered by new people-” 

“That would be correct.” Aelwyn snarked before she stopped herself, and Ayda’s eyes furrowed and flickered with light. Her fiery gaze glowed brighter as she cast some sort of spell, and her face fell slightly. 

“Ah. I am also a new person that is bothering you. I… should go.” Her wings were stiff and Aelwyn immediately felt bad. She had been trying to reign in her remarks around new people, but sometimes old habits die hard. 

“No, no. It’s quite alright, Ayda. It was… thoughtful of you. To join me. And you’re right, Adaine does check up on me.” Aelwyn sighed, and Ayda was quiet for a moment as she stared at her. 

“Adaine said you were mean, but you were trying to be nice. I appreciate your effort and will stay. But I only have a few more levels of Ayda’s Comprehend Subtext, so I would greatly appreciate it if you could speak more plainly.” Of course Adaine said that. She would. If that was how her little sister introduced her to most people, she would have to have a little chat with her about that. 

“I hope you heard things other than that.” She chuckled quietly as she sipped her refreshing lemonade, and Ayda took that as a prompting to continue. 

“She did, actually. She had high praise for your spellcasting and your current progress when it comes to settling in Elmville. It was part of what made me come over to talk to you, because I enjoy talking to other spellcasters and trust Adaine’s judgement. She has an excellent frog.” Ayda insisted on that last part, as if Aelwyn hadn’t met Boggy. To be fair, she originally hated the frog. She never liked the slimy, amphibious things. But her sister’s familiar was an exception, as it were. 

“She’s also the elven oracle,” Aelwyn said with a raised eyebrow, but then she recalled Ayda’s request and saw the expression on her face. Right. Of course. “I found it interesting that you chose to mention Boggy before you mentioned her title, is all.” 

“Boggy is much more important than any title. He helps her out every day and is incredibly comforting. Her title is important on a level, but she does not use her oracle abilities for the elves of Fallinel who gave her said title. So I think it to be less important, even if her prowess as a divination wizard is incredible and impressive.” 

Huh. She never really thought about it like that. Aelwyn had always directly linked Adaine’s title to her magical prowess, and she had been taught from a young age that title was everything. Without social standing, you were nothing. So even if she had been growing to accept those around her without titles, she hadn’t thought about how little other people would care about her sister’s title or reputation. 

“Well, Boggy is quite useful. She told me about your familiar as well, and how you created a spell for her. I couldn’t think of something more fitting for her,” Aelwyn’s lips tugged into a small smile without her permission. “On her first day of freshman year, she used all of her spell slots trying to get back at me for prodding her, and when she ran out she tried so hard to punch me. She couldn’t then, of course, but she’s always had this… fire in her. My parents hated it, but then again, they’re not exactly here to care anymore.” She chuckled, even if her heart felt tight in her chest. Despite everything, her mother’s begging face as they flew out of the nightmare forest was hard to forget. 

Ayda was silent for a few moments before her eyes lit up. “Oh! Yes. Your other parents. I’m so used to thinking about Jawbone as her guardian, now. That confused me. I get it now. But yes, she has this innate need to want to physically punch people that I found fascinating when she has access to a wealth of spells.” 

“Right? I have no idea why. I’ve never quite understood, I always found magic to be much more powerful in my mind, but you both melded the two together! I’d almost call it impressive.” Aelwyn continued, feeling a sort of ease fall over her as the two talked and talked. At some point they moved over to one of the small fold-up tables that was set up throughout the backyard and before she knew it, a few hours passed. 

“Would you really let me use your library? I know that Adaine said you were rather proud of it, I don’t want to intrude on your place.” Aelwyn asked, furrowing her eyebrows slightly. 

“Of course. I would not have offered otherwise. It’s a nice place to find some quiet, and the sea air is nice. And if you leave from there, you can go and see my dear friend Garthy O’Brien. They have a place called the Gold Gardens, it’s very relaxing there.” Ayda insisted, but the high elf was still skeptical. 

“A relaxing place in a pirate city?” She asked warily, and that was one bit of subtext that Ayda would get anyway. 

“I know it’s difficult to believe, as Leviathan is a dirty, gross place filled with pirates. But the Gold Gardens is very nice, I assure you. You can ask Adaine if you are-” 

“What about me?” A voice called as it approached them, and Aelwyn turned around in her plastic lawn chair to see her little sister approaching with a strange look on her face. If she didn’t know better, she’d say that Adaine almost looked pleased. 

“Ah, Adaine! My best friend. I was talking to your sister about the Gold Gardens, as she often looks for places of solitude and relaxation but has a hard time finding them.” Ayda explained, much to Aelwyn’s embarrassment. She didn’t want her sister worrying about her or thinking that she was complaining about living here. She was very grateful to be at Mordred manor. Looking at Adaine’s raised eyebrows and Aelwyn’s face, Ayda frowned. “Have I committed an error in some way? You both look distraught.” 

“No, of course not Ayda! It’s fine. The Gold Gardens is a lovely place to relax, Garthy is wonderful. I think she would like it. I was just going to tell you guys that everything was winding down since I don’t think either of you noticed.” Adaine reassured her immediately, and Aelwyn took the opportunity to actually look around. Sure enough, the chatter had quieted. Dinner had long since been served. People who were in the pool were out and dry, and some people were heading out. Huh. She hadn’t noticed. She had been too busy talking to Ayda. 

“I hadn’t noticed. Aelwyn is fun to talk to, and her conversation distracted me. Is that normal? Did my father use some of his chronomancy to affect the party?” Ayda asked, her eyebrows furrowing. 

“No, I think that we were just talking for a while! Sometimes time can seem to be faster or slower. I think it simply felt faster for both of us when we were talking, is all.” Aelwyn explained as she turned back to face the part-phoenix. If she had been looking at her sister, she would have seen the wobbly, huge smile on her face. 

“That would make some kind of sense, I suppose. Interesting. Are we friends, now? Best friends? I would cite the transitive property, but that would mean that I am also your sister if I were to use Adaine, and I believe that would be inherently incorrect.” Ayda asked curiously, and a flicker of warmth curled in Aelwyn’s chest. 

She had a friend. 

A real one that was close to her age. 

“The transitive property is useful, but you don’t always need the transitive property to make friends. I think that we’re definitely friends, Ayda. You should be honored.” She sniffed playfully. 

“I am. You are a powerful wizard. I grow wealthier in friendship by the day. It’s fantastic.” Ayda replied without missing a beat. Before Aelwyn could react, a voice rang out. 

“Hey Ayda! Didja see me play?” Fig called over from the other side of the yard, and Ayda flexed her wings. 

“I am going to go to see my paramore, now. Farewell, Adaine. I am glad to call you my friend, Aelwyn.” Ayda nodded at the both of them before flying over to her girlfriend. 

“I knew you’d like her.” Adaine said triumphantly, crossing her arms as an air of pride surrounded her. 

“She’s alright,” Aelwyn huffed out of sheer stubbornness, giving her a weak glare. “Besides, how’s Zayn?” She teased. Her little sister’s pride vanished and was replaced by a sneer. Of course, she knew that her sister didn’t like the ghost in that sort of way, but it was fun to annoy her. 

“He’s perfectly fine, thank you very much,” Adaine grumbled, but then there was some commotion out front. Her sister’s eyes flashed blue, and a softness crossed her face. “Ragh and Tracker are about to leave. Wanna go say goodbye?” She hummed. 

“I suppose. This whole thing was for them, anyways.” She shrugged, but really, she did want to say goodbye to Ragh. She would actually miss him, at least a little bit. Not that she would ever admit that. 

Walking up to the front yard, Jawbone was hugging Tracker tightly and Kristen was clearly trying to keep herself together. But there was a bittersweetness in her eyes. Lydia was hugging her son and pushing some tupperware containers of food into his arms. Aelwyn waited for her turn, watching as Kristen held her girlfriend and Gorgug and Fabian romped around with Ragh one last time before he left. Then she approached and gave a quick good luck to Tracker before walking up to Ragh. 

“Hey, Wynnie.” He greeted warmly, pulling her into a giant hug. This was a hug she actually returned, hiding her smile in his neck. 

“Don’t get yourself killed out there, alright? Remember what we went over. You have the potions I got for you?” Aelwyn tutted, pulling away with a more serious expression on her face. 

“Mhmm. No possession for me, not this time!” He grinned widely. 

“And remember, magic users can only do so much. Aim for their arcane focus, or try to get them to not be able to talk so they can’t cast, and-” 

“Wynnie! This is a recon mission. We’re gonna sniff around, see what Tracker can do about her goddess. We’ll be fine, not too much fighting if we do it right. We’ll be all good, promise. I’ll text you or mom whenever I can, since Gorgug did some cool shit to upgrade our phones. Geez, it’s almost like you’re gonna miss me.” He teased, and Aelwyn immediately pulled away with a huff. 

“Whatever, never mind. See how you’ll fare without my advice on the road.” She threatened lightly, and Ragh laughed. 

“If he doesn’t text you, I will. I’ll take good care of him.” Tracker butted in, grinning wolfishly at Aelwyn.

“Good. You better.” 

“Hey, I’m the bodyguard here! It’s the other way around!” Ragh interrupted, and after some more goodbyes from the rest of the remaining people at the party, the two headed off to Fallinel. Aelwyn felt a pang of something in her heart, some worry for her friends, but she knew that they would be fine. 

Wait. 

Friends? 

Were they her friends? 

As Ragh waved wildly from the passenger seat window at Mordred manor, she smiled softly. Maybe he was. And she couldn’t wait for him to get back and tell her all about it. 

After the party, she focused on helping Lydia and Jawbone clean up after the party, using some small prestidigitations with Adaine and cleaning up where she could. In the months that had passed, Jawbone had gotten to work on making the house accessible, and while Lydia couldn’t get up to the upper floors quite yet, parts of the kitchen had been made shorter to match her height and there were ramps leading up to the house and the backyard. 

Lydia seemed sad, but Aelwyn stuck by her side during the cleaning and tried to cheer her up as best she could with some snickering comments and jokes. It seemed to work a bit, which was good, but eventually the high elf retired to her room. 

Adaine was waiting for her on the top bunk, sitting up and staring at her. 

Oh dear. 

“You didn’t tell me that you were having trouble finding some peace and quiet.” She accused, her eyes narrowing and her lips pursed into a frown. 

“It’s not that big of a deal, Adaine.” She sighed heavily, taking off her clothing and changing into her pajamas nonchalantly. Hopefully she could snuff this out before her sister pushed further. 

“Of course it is! I want you to tell me when you’re having a hard time.” Adaine pressed further, because of course she did. Silly, worried little sister. She should have better things to be worried about. 

“I’m not having a hard time, I’m just, I don’t know, nitpicking! It’s fine! I’m fine! Stop worrying about me!” Aelwyn hissed sharply, immediately regretting it the moment it left her mouth. Adaine’s face hardened and her fists tightened. 

“Is that what this is about? You don’t want me to worry? Aelwyn, I’m always going to worry about you, no matter the circumstance. I worry about you because I care about you, and I want to help you whenever I can. Is that so wrong?” Adaine asked, her voice firm but almost pleading by the end. Her heart was always on a constant guard, but Adaine had blown through her defenses ages ago. She would always eventually cave when it came to her baby sister. 

“Adaine, you have your whole wonderful life ahead of you, and I’m certain it shouldn’t be bogged down by worrying about if I am alright or not. I am fine. I like it here. It’s just loud and more than I am used to sometimes, is all.” Oftentimes, Aelwyn was in her house alone with Adaine when they were growing up. Angwyn was often on business trips for his job and Arianwen was usually working late at Hudol, so it meant a quiet house with not much to do. It wasn’t terrible, but it was quiet. And quiet was what she was used to.

“Well, my wonderful life happens to have you in it and is affected by your well-being, you know,” Adaine snapped back. “If you wanted a quiet space, you could have just said so. I would have told you about the Gold Gardens, or shown you the Compass Pointe.” 

“I know about them now, and I appreciate the sentiment.” Aelwyn said finally with a defeated sigh, and they both softened. 

“Everyone really likes you, you know. I’m glad you’re here.” Adaine said gently, and god, did that mean a lot. 

She was starting to feel at home here for the first time. She had friends, she had her sister. After this summer, she would start attending school again. Maybe things wouldn’t go back to normal, per se, but this was a start. And she, for once, was excited to see what the future held. But with an oracle for a sister, Aelwyn could already tell that it would be good. 

Things would get better.

“I think I’m glad to be here, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys liked this! Have a lovely day! <3


End file.
